WxDecoder

KBED/BED METAR & TAF Laurence G Hanscom Field

Bedford, MassachusettsElevation 133 ftMedium airport
CURRENT STATUS
VFR8 min old
No ceiling, visibility 10 SM.
FLIGHT CATEGORY
VFR
ceiling & visibility
WIND
Calm
no steady wind
VISIBILITY
10 SM
16.1 km
CEILING
None
no BKN/OVC layer
DENSITY ALT
-2,584 ft
-2,717 ft vs field
CURRENT METAR

Decoded observation

Observed 0851Z (4:51 AM local) · 8 min old

KBED is currently VFR. Winds are calm. Visibility is 10 statute miles. There is no ceiling.

WIND
Calm
No steady wind.
VISIBILITY
10 statute miles
16.1 km, good.
CEILING & SKY
CLR
FEW and SCT layers are not ceilings.
TEMP / DEWPOINT
-3°C / -4°C
27°F / 25°F. 1°C spread.
ALTIMETER
30.53 inHg
1033.9 hPa, above standard.
WEATHER & HAZARDS
No significant hazards
No precipitation or obscuration reported.

Codes in this report: AUTO CLR RMK AO2

Hover or tap any group for a plain-English explanation.

REMARKS: DECODED
AO2
automated station with a precipitation discriminator (can tell rain from snow)
SLP353
sea-level pressure 1035.3 hPa
I1000
unrecognized remark group
I3000
unrecognized remark group
T10281039
precise temperature -2.8°C, dew point -3.9°C
55000
3-hour pressure tendency: falling then rising (0.0 hPa change)
$
station needs maintenance
TERMINAL AERODROME FORECAST

TAF timeline

Issued 0522Z (1:22 AM local) · valid to 0600Z (2:00 AM local)

KBED forecast starts VFR at 06Z. Conditions are roughly steady over the period.

VFR
VFR
0600Z2:00 AM1048Z6:48 AM1536Z11:36 AM2024Z4:24 PM0112Z9:12 PM0600Z2:00 AM

Codes in this report: P6SM SKC

Tap any group to decode it.

FAA: no delays reported at BED.

Source: FAA System Operations (ASWS). Operational status only; verify with official FAA sources and NOTAMs.

SUGGESTED RISK · TRAINING USE

Suggested risk level: Low

›No significant weather concerns in the current report.

A suggested risk level for training and situational awareness only, not a go/no-go authority. Verify with official sources and apply your personal minimums.

FORECAST & PILOT NOTES · SUPPLEMENTAL

Extended forecast and pilot notes

Current aviation conditions show flight category VFR, wind calm, visibility 10 SM, ceiling none. Forecast suggests sunday widespread frost then sunny, high near 65F, low near 32F, 0% chance of precipitation. Key risks: no significant hazards are highlighted right now, but always confirm against an official briefing.

DayConditionsTemp FWindGustsPrecipPilot note
Sunday Widespread Frost then Sunny 65/32 SW 3 kt – 0%
Monday Patchy Frost then Sunny 68/41 W 7 kt – 0%
Tuesday Sunny 54/29 N 8 kt – 0%
Wednesday Widespread Frost then Sunny 56/34 E 1 kt – 0%
Thursday Sunny 66/46 SW 9 kt 21 kt 2%
Friday Sunny 69/41 W 6 kt – 1%
Saturday Mostly Sunny 65 W 4 kt – 0%

Source: National Weather Service (office BOX). Forecast issued 0858Z.

Radar

Radar data: NOAA/NWS MRMS composite reflectivity. For situational awareness only, not a substitute for an official weather briefing.

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RUNWAYS & WIND
2 runways · crosswind ranking
NESW11290523CALMCALMCALMCALMCALM
WIND USED
Wind calm or variable
Crosswind ranking is unavailable until the wind has a steady direction.
Components are estimates from the current METAR wind and runway heading. Verify with the Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.
RUNWAYS

Runway detail & declared distances

2 runways · longest 7,011 ft

11/29
Dimensions
7,011 x 150 ft
Surface
Asphalt (good)
Edge lights
HIGH
RWY 1197°T
Landing length (LDA)7,011 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA7,011 / 7,011 / 7,011 ft
ILSILS/DME
Approach lightsMALSR
VGSIPAPI (P4L)
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 29277°T
Landing length (LDA)7,011 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA7,011 / 7,011 / 7,011 ft
ILSILS/DME
Approach lightsMALSR
VGSIPAPI (P4R)
Traffic patternLeft
05/23
Dimensions
5,107 x 150 ft
Surface
Asphalt (good)
Edge lights
MED
RWY 0537°T
Landing length (LDA)5,107 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA5,107 / 5,107 / 5,107 ft
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4L)
Traffic patternLeft
RWY 23217°T
Landing length (LDA)5,107 ft
TORA / TODA / ASDA5,107 / 5,107 / 5,107 ft
REILYes
VGSIPAPI (P4R)
Traffic patternLeft

Runway data from the FAA NASR dataset (effective 2026-06-11). Verify with the current Chart Supplement and NOTAMs.

FIELD CONDITIONS

Performance & density altitude

Density altitude
-2,584 ft
Pressure altitude
-477 ft
Field elevation
133 ft MSL
Temperature
-3°C (27°F)
Dewpoint
-4°C (25°F)
Altimeter
30.53 inHg

Density altitude estimates how the aircraft performs versus standard atmosphere. Higher density altitude reduces climb performance and increases takeoff distance.

DAYLIGHT & NIGHT

Sun & logging windows

Sunset
2149Z 5:49 PM
Sunrise
1109Z 7:09 AM
Loggable night
2218Z (6:18 PM local) → 1040Z (6:40 AM local)
end of evening to start of morning civil twilight
Position lights required
2149Z (5:49 PM local) → 1109Z (7:09 AM local)
sunset to sunrise (91.209)
Night passenger currency
2249Z (6:49 PM local) → 1009Z (6:09 AM local)
1 hr after sunset to 1 hr before sunrise (61.57(b))

FAA definitions, shown in Zulu with airport-local time. Verify for your operation.

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Facility & services

Laurence G Hanscom Field is in Bedford, Massachusetts. Field elevation 133 ft MSL. Airport facts are drawn from OurAirports and the FAA NASR dataset.

OPERATIONS & CONTACT
OwnershipPublicly owned
UseOpen to the public
TypeMedium airport
Airline serviceYes
ManagerCHRISTOPHER J. WILLENBORG
Manager phone617-212-6592
AttendedContinuous (24 hours)
CHARTS & AIRSPACE
ICAO / IATAKBED / BED
SectionalNEW YORK
Center (ARTCC)BOSTON
Flight service (AFSS)BRIDGEPORT
RegionMassachusetts
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42.4700, -71.2890
Distance from city0 NM NE
SERVICES & LIGHTING
Fuel100LL · Jet A
Control towerTowered
Field lightingSee remarks
BeaconSunset to sunrise · White-green (lighted land airport)
CTAF118.500
UNICOM122.950
FREQUENCIES

Communications

124.4
BOSTON APP/DEP
A/D
124.6
ATIS
ATIS
121.85
CLNC DEL
CLD
118.5
CTAF
CTAF
121.7
HANSCOM GND
GND
39.71
HANSCOM COMD POST
MISC
118.5
HANSCOM TWR
TWR
122.95
UNICOM
UNIC
122.950
UNICOM
UNICOM

Not all tower/ground/approach frequencies are in our datasets. Verify with the FAA Chart Supplement.

AIRCRAFT ACTIVITY

KBED traffic patterns

2026-06-12 to 2026-10-23, 70 days observed · data 2026-10-23

High confidence
TRAFFIC VOLUME (30-DAY)
AVG LANDINGS/DAY
98.8
AVG OPS/DAY
141.5
Activity trend over 18 days: rising, from 130 to 198 operations per dayOperations trend (18 days)

Busiest day: Wed · Busiest month: Oct

FLEET MIX
Piston single 36%Jet 22%Unknown 21%Turboprop 14%Airliner 5%Helicopter 1%Twin 1%

Mostly small piston aircraft.

TOP AIRCRAFT TYPES
›P28A (Piston single) · ~355 landings/mo
›PC12 (Turboprop) · ~246 landings/mo
›SR22 (Piston single) · ~130 landings/mo
›C172 (Piston single) · ~114 landings/mo
›UNKN (Unknown) · ~87 landings/mo
LIKELY BASED AIRCRAFT
Low-confidence estimate

Aircraft likely based near this airport (estimate), mostly single-engine piston aircraft.

›P28A (Piston single)
›SR22 (Piston single)
›C172 (Piston single)
›PC12 (Turboprop)
›C182 (Piston single)

This is an estimate based on repeated flight patterns, not registration data. Do not rely on it to identify specific aircraft or owners.

Data limitations (4)
›ADS-B coverage is incomplete; counts are an observed lower bound, not official totals.
›Some aircraft do not transmit usable ADS-B and are not counted.
›Aircraft types and based estimates are inferred and may be wrong.
›This is not official ATC, FAA, or airport data.
NEARBY AIRPORTS

Weather reference stations

Current flight category at nearby reporting stations.

KBOS Boston Logan International Airport
14 NM SE
VFR
KLWM Lawrence Municipal Airport
17 NM NE
VFR
KOWD Norwood Memorial Airport
18 NM S
VFR
KBVY Beverly Regional Airport
18 NM NE
VFR
KASH Nashua Airport / Boire Field
21 NM NW
VFR
KMHT Manchester-Boston Regional Airport
29 NM N
VFR
AIRPORT REMARKS

Operational remarks

›PCR VALUE: 950/F/D/W/T
›1000 FT AGL FIXED WING; 1500 FT AGL TURBOJET; 1800 FT AGL HEAVY JET ACFT.
›PPR FOR ALL ACFT CARRYING XPLOS CALL 617-212-6592.
›TWY C, F, J, N, R, S, T, TWY M SOUTH OF TWY E & TWY G BTN RWY 11/29 & RWY 05/23 CLSD TO ACFT GTR THAN 118 FT WINGSPAN. TWY R CLSD TO ACR OPS-GA USE ONLY.
›NO PLAS/TGLS FOR ACFT UNDER 12500 LBS BTN 2300-0700.
›SVC-TRAN ALERT: OPR 1200-0400Z++ WKD; 1400-2200Z++ SUN; PPR OT AND HOL DSN 845-5589/5592. DE-ICING AVBL FR VENDOR.
›AF: PPR ALL MIL ACFT, PAX MNFST REQ ALL INBD PAX, CTC BASE OPS DSN 845-5589/5592, C781-225-5589/5592.
›AF: COMD POST DSN 845-6960/6961, C781-225-6960/6961.
›NO PLAS/TGLS FOR ACFT 12500 LBS & OVR.
›VOLUNTARY NOISE ABATEMENT PROCS IN EFCT CTC AMGR 617-212-6592. NOISE SENSITIVE HISTORIC AREA S OF ARPT; FOR RWY 23 DEP CONT RWY HDG TO 1000 FT AGL, TURNING CROSSWIND OVR RTE 2.
›SERVICE: MIL ACFT MUST ARNG FOR PRKG ON EAST RAMP WITH TRAN ALERT OR VENDOR.
›TWY R1, R2 CLSD TO ACFT GTR THAN 49 FT WINGSPAN.
›APU-GPU OPS LTD TO MAX OF 30 MINS.
›NOISE ABATEMENT PROCS IN EFCT - HELS OPERG WI CNTLD ASP ARE RQRD TO MNTN HIST PSBL ALT.
›US CUSTOMS USER FEE ARPT.
›SUPPORT: OPR 1200-0400Z++ MON-FRI, 1300-1900Z++ SAT & SUN, CLSD HOL. CTC BASE OPS PRIOR TO 1700Z++ FRI FOR OT SUPPORT.
›BIRDS & WILDLIFE ON & INVOF ARPT.
›BE ALERT FOR SML ACFT PARKED ON RAMPS.
›(A23) RWY 29 RIGHT TFC ACFT OVR 12500 LBS.
›SURCHARGE FOR EACH LDG & DEP 2300-0700. COML & TSNT LDG FEE.
›CLSD TO PART 121 ACR OPS WITH OVR 60 SEATS EXCP 24 HR PPR CALL 781-869-8000.
›PCR VALUE: 770/F/D/W/T
›ACTVT MALSR RWY 11 & 29; REIL RWY 05 & 23; HIRL RWY 11/29; MIRL RWY 05/23; TWY LGTS - 118.5.
OFFICIAL LINKS & SOURCES
↗Official METAR on AviationWeather.gov
↗Search NOTAMs (official FAA NOTAM Search)
↗Official airport website
↗Wikipedia
↗KBED on OurAirports
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Does KBED have a METAR?
Yes. KBED has a current METAR observation, decoded into plain English on this page.
Does KBED have a TAF?
Yes, a TAF is issued for KBED; the decoded forecast timeline is shown above.
What is the field elevation at KBED?
KBED sits at 133 ft MSL, which factors into the density-altitude estimate on this page.
Is this an official preflight weather briefing for KBED?
No. wxdecoder.com is for education and situational awareness only. It is not an official weather briefing or a substitute for official sources, NOTAM review, and pilot judgment.
This app is for aviation weather education, training, and situational awareness only. It is not a substitute for an official weather briefing, approved flight-planning software, flight service, dispatch procedures, current FAA regulations, or pilot judgment. Always verify weather with official sources before flight.